New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-09-18
CHARCoT AvENGES MEsMER.
OF HYPNOT1SM BY THE
ACADEMY OF MEDICINE.

nlinical ward of the Saltpetriere for the nervous
diseases of women. Not only, indeed mas Vn's
illustrious physician shown that the chafiatah
whom the elder Dumas introduced with such tell
4n0 effect into his novels ia Comtesse de
Charnyn and lie Docteur Balsamo." was no mere
charlatan. but a number Of Charcots disciples
have proved the truth Of what Dumas seemed "
draw from his rich Imagination. The lmpfeS''o"
Is still fresh of the suicide OF an unior 'unAUo
young girl under the stress OF mentai suss ,
The suggestor belongs TO the medlcai pi
and is worthy Of lying in the same D"'y n-
ground with the nefarious Doctor ae Id Oin
,nerra;s Uo had acouired undue influence over
the poor girl by hypnotizng or mesheris'Ns nu.'
and wanting to get rid Of her ana 10 marry
somehoav else he ordered her. at Issuance vi
many miles. forthwith 20 set about CONTINUING
suicids with n pistol. Dr. Charcot VINO Is
cautious man. has publicly admitted hyPhoOO Dug
pestion lie thinks extraordinary curative eheo'0
so far as the consciousness Of pain goes "'. "
he derived from hypnotism, which ls Mesfneri'ln
,,;,b q new Creek name But he always eAhorts
laics not to dabble in it. and medical men 10
keep their hypnotic lore TO themselves ms !"
charming after the way in which the pfolesSioh
of which Charcot is really bright light treated
Mesmerism Mesmer was an empire. but he
nevertheless got at the truth.
The illustrious Bichat did not believe that ,herc
was any general system in medicine, wb'ch nc
said WAS not a science TO any methodlc MIMI oue
collection of vague and inexact IDEAS oil op-
ssrvations often puerile and of Earring iornu'"'
Homeopathy was tabooed because IL was ho'
orthodox hy that Sanhedrm known as the f"c
ulty of Medicine. Animal magnetism WAS iois
ignored on the ground that chariatans had u'Aon
1t up and that doctor who had seii-resp.v'
could follow them. Mesmerism was ueatco VIZ"
no less contempt until new name WAS SNen
Il and Charcot declared that there was NOT oi,'
something but good deal in it deserving inc
attention of scientists.
DIR Iuys last Tuesday made communication
TO the Academy of Medicine on TINS sU"''0'
which electrified tie members present IL was
on the action both at distance and by orco'
contact. of certain medicated or iermehted SUP
stances ON hynotic subjects. The latter were al
women who could not possibly have got 'her
che beforehand and were being observed, "iiio
DR. Luys operated. by jury Of sclcntists aooV0
oil suspicion of having lent themselves 10 any
tricllcry tube in one instance Was hlied WIN
sulphate of strychnine by DR. Luys ana inc sun
ret. who was not present, was told to put it to
the left side of the nape Of her neck. coon "i'c'
there was telephone message from the lore
in the left side from muscular contractions' con-
yp,sive starts and n rigid body When the drug
was placed on the right side of the mare I'm I'M
erination) the same phenomenon took place An
experiment or rather experiments were made on
subjects who were brought in TO the operator
They had no idea what DR.. Luys was going 10
use Alcohol when put 10 the napc IN a tube no
larger than homGopathists vial and hermcF
cally sealed produced exactly the same ehcct Us
II imbibed at q bar. Absinthc, hasehish OPIUM
morphine, beer champagne, tea and coffee were In
succession tricl with their characteristic ehec's-
But "the cup which cheers but not inebrates'
was found too exciting for French ncufopa'in
Valcran caused the deepest sadness The Thoughts
Of the patient were centred in a grave She was
impelled irrcsistbly to stoop down and scratch
the ground. and thought herself in a cemetery ex-
huming a deceased relative whom she loved.
Under the illusion she fanced herself picking up
bones belonging to his skeleton which she handled
with tender reverence, and when there was an
Imaginary mound of them formed she placed,
with deep-drawn signs and tears and genufec
tions a cross above them. Under the influence
of haschsh everything looked rosy and geyety
prevailed The subject was young girl, very
fond of the drama. She faneied herself on the
stage and playing part which suited her 10
perfection. 1t was in boufe olcra and she
sang her score admirably. The sentiments were
expressed with delicate feeling. DR.. Luys cam
according to the substances he uses, run through
the whole gamut Of human passions and emotions.
What is most strange is that trace of the
fictitious world in which the hypnotized subject
has been wandering remains when real conscious
ness is restored 1t is very for even the
idea Of having been in dreamland to survive the
awakening from the hypnotic trance. Dr.
Luys says that hypnotic suggestion sometimes has
periods of incubation more or less long. The
subject is at first gently drawn TO do certain
thing or things, and then tho lrawing becomes
an irresistible impulse Thew first as II
tempted and then as il possessed. They can no
more help themselves than man who had got
to the verge of Niagara Falls in boat could
help going over.
DR.. Roger moved that the Academy name
o Commission to inquire INTO hypnotic suggestion,
near and at distance. DIR. Bronardel sup
ported him. He said, "Au that DIR. Luys has
alleged and shown cannot fail to make noise
throughout the world. Nobody NM Burot
and Bouren have gone far as DIR. Luys.
He not only forces the attention OF the Academy
the question of hypnotisn, but of persons being
affected by poisonous substances which do not
penetrate, or 1t may be even touch, their bodies
This is from legal point of view great danger |
great social responsibility is involved in the
matter 1t is the duty Of the Academy TO have |
the experiments of DR.. Luys repeated. with |
others that bear upon them
Hypnotism or animal magnetism has been q
little more than hundred years despised and |
rejected by the doctors. 1t was discovered by |
Viennese, Mesmer who belonged to that curious |
branch OF the Frcemasons, the illuminate. When |
he told Stoerclx, the head of the Faculty OF
Medicine at Vienna, Of his discovery, that learned
owl begged him not to discredit that body by |
talking Of anything so absurd. lie persisted |
Sarcasm and then persecution obliged him to go |
abroad, and he came to Paris in 1878. The |
world Of fashion and the court went crazy about |
him. He then set up in the Palais Royal where, |
1t must be said. in way that was worthy of |
charlatan, lie worked his discovery. NJ lie Roy, |
Of the Academy of Medicine, thought him on the |
scent of a great truth But the other doctors |